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Welcome to our Cerebrovascular Surgery and Interventions Center! We care for children and young adults with cerebrovascular disease (CVD), a group of conditions affecting blood vessels in and around the brain and the spine.

While CVD occurs in people of all ages, the conditions affecting children are distinct in many ways from CVD in adults. Children with cerebrovascular disease face the risk of either bleeding (hemorrhage) or of inadequate blood supply (ischemic stroke), both of which can potentially cause serious neurological harm.

Pediatric surgical intervention and interventional radiology techniques can be used to correct these vascular conditions, ideally before they cause serious brain injury, but also after a child has experienced a neurological event. Our Center employs the full spectrum of neurosurgical and neurointerventional techniques, often adopting and modifying tools originally developed for adults.

Depth of experience in cerebrovascular disease

Boston Children's Hospital has extensive experience treating children with CVD, an experience we track carefully to inform future care. The Center’s co-directors—pediatric neurosurgeon Edward Smith, MD, and neurointerinventionalist Darren Orbach, MD, PhD—are internationally recognized leaders in pediatric CVD who have authored numerous scientific publications and professional treatment guidelines for stroke and other forms of CVD in children.

Our Center is unique in that every facet of our approach to children with CVD, from initial consultation to treatment to follow-up, is collaborative, multidisciplinary and customized to each child’s needs. We work closely with our Cerebrovascular Disorders and Stroke Program, whose medical expertise complements our ability to provide specific surgical or neurointerventional treatment. We also routinely marshal the expertise of the Vascular Anomalies Center, as well as specialists in child neurology, neuroradiology, neurocritical care, genetics, blood disorders and other areas. A highly skilled team of specialized nurses, technicians and therapists is part of each patient’s care.

Research and innovation

The Cerebrovascular Center continually adopts, enhances and pioneers new minimally invasive strategies and devices that can safely access tiny vessels in the youngest children. Our research, driving cutting-edge advances in our field, makes us one of the most-published pediatric cerebrovascular centers in the world. This clinical research is complemented by innovative discoveries in the Vascular Biology Program. Read more.